NC State Wrestling Notebook: 2025 NCAA Championships Day 1 Preview

The NC State wrestling team will send eight of its 10 starters to Philadelphia this weekend to compete at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The event runs Thursday through Saturday and will be televised, with each mat streamed by ESPN.

Session 1 and Session 2 will take place on Thursday, and each wrestler will have two matches regardless of outcomes, one in the opening session and one later in the evening.

The Schedule

Thursday, March 20
Session 1 – 12 p.m. (First Round) – ESPNU
Session 2 – 7 p.m. (Second Round & Consolations) – ESPN

Friday, March 21
Session 3 – 12 p.m. (Quarterfinals & Consolations) – ESPNU
Session 4 – 8 p.m. (Semifinals, Blood Round & Consolations) – ESPN2

Saturday, March 22
Session 5 – 11 a.m. (Medal Matches) – ESPNU
Session 6 – 7 p.m. (Finals) – ESPN

TV Assignments are listed above, and every bout will be streamed on ESPN+.

NC State Thursday Matchup – Sessions 1 & 2

125 (Match #18)

#4 Vince Robinson (18-3) vs. #29 Joey Cruz (Iowa – 14-12)

Notes: This is Robinson’s first trip to NCAAs, his first season as a starter … He was ACC runner-up this year … Three losses on the season, one was a medical forfeit and the other two were 4-1 defeats to third seed Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech … Missed over a month of the season due to a knee injury suffered at the Cliff Keen tournament in early December … Has eight ranked wins on the season, including three top-10 victories … Cruz is a transfer from Oklahoma, a first-year starter and it’s his first time at NCAAs … He has four ranked wins on the year.

WrestleStat prediction: Robinson by 11-3 major decision

Winner/Loser faces: #13 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton – 15-2) or #20 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State – 21-9)

133 (Match #39)

#26 Kai Orine (12-7) vs. #7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State – 22-6)

Notes: This is a rematch from last year’s dual meet when Bouzakis scored a first-period pin … It’s Orine’s fourth straight trip to the NCAAs, and this is his final season of eligibility … A two-time All-American, he placed eighth both in 2023 and last year … ACC runner-up this year, after winning two ACC titles in 2023 and 2024 … Started the season at 141 pounds, moved down to 133 on Dec. 22, where he has remained … Is 5-5 at 133 this year, and four of his five losses were to wrestlers ranked 13th or higher … Scored a top-10 win over #12 seed Ethan Oakley of UNC in the ACC semifinals … This is Bouzakis’ second straight trip to NCAAs; he went 2-2 last year … After losing his first-round match at the Big Ten’s this year, wrestled back for third place.

WrestleStat prediction: Bouzakis by 9-6 decision

Winner/Loser faces: #10 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers – 19-9) or #23 Sean Spidle (Central Michigan – 27-9)

149 (Match #65)

#20 Koy Buesgens (16-11) vs. #13 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State – 21-5)

Notes: This is Buesgens’ first trip to NCAAs and his first season as a starter … He placed third at ACCs, defeating former All-American (and 17th seed this year) Jaden Abas of Stanford to earn his NCAA bid … In his final season, this will be D’Emilio’s fifth straight trip to NCAAs where his career record is 10-9 with All-America honors coming in 2023 with an eighth-place finish … Was 1-2 last year against the Pack’s Jackson Arrington at this weight … D’Emilio placed fifth at the Big Ten’s this season.

WrestleStat prediction: Buesgens by 6-5 decision

Winner/Loser faces: #4 Paniro Johnson (Iowa State – 25-4) or #29 Jack Gioffre (Virginia – 9-6)

157 (Match #85)

#22 Ed Scott (13-6) vs. #11 Matty Bianchi (Little Rock – 23-4)

Notes: Scott’s fourth straight trip to the NCAAs, this is his final season of eligibility. Earned All-American honors in 2023 with a fifth-place finish, took out the third, sixth and seventh seeds. ACC runner-up this year, also a two-time ACC champion (2022, 2024). Second straight year Bianchi has advanced to NCAAs, was 0-2 last year. Pac-12 champion this year.

WrestleStat prediction: Bianchi by 8-7 decision

Winner/Loser faces: #6 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa – 25-4) or #27 Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford – 15-9)

165 (Match #98)

#29 Derek Fields (14-12) vs. #4 Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley – 27-2)

Notes: This is a rematch from a late-November dual in Reynolds where Barraclough took an 8-3 decision … It’s the second straight trip to NCAAs for Fields … He had a fourth-place finish at the ACCs … Barraclough is a transfer spending his first four seasons at Penn State; it’s his first trip to NCAAs in his first year at Utah Valley … Finished third at Big 12’s this year, suffering his first loss since Dec. 6.

WrestleStat prediction: Barraclough by 8-3 decision

Winner/Loser faces: #13 Will Miller (App State – 20-2) or #20 Gunner Filipowicz (Army – 24-4)

174 (Match #116)

#14 Matty Singleton – 17-7 vs. #19 Jared Simma (Northern Iowa – 21-13)

Notes: It’s Singleton’s first trip to NCAAs; he redshirted last year and did not qualify at 165 pounds in his true freshman season in 2023 … Won the 2025 ACC championship as the fourth seed, avenging a pair of dual losses … All three of his wins at ACCs were over NCAA Qualifiers (24th, 21st and 15th seeds) … Has won five straight matches … Split a pair of matches against the fifth seed Simon Ruiz of Cornell this year (1-6, 6-5) … All seven losses were to NCAA Qualifiers, including possible second round foe #3 seed Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State (8-4) … Simma is making his second straight appearance at NCAAs … He won his first two matches last year to advance to the quarterfinals as the 28^th seed … Set a new career-high with 22 wins thus far, placed sixth at Big 12s.

WrestleStat prediction: Singleton by 6-5 decision

Winner/Loser faces: #3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (Oklahoma State – 22-1) or #30 Jackson Turley (Rutgers – 18-10)

184 (Match #137)

#15 Dylan Fishback (13-6) vs. #18 Maximus Hale (Penn – 17-8)

Notes: This is a rematch from last year at NCAAs … The two met in the consolation rounds, and Fishback ended Hale’s season with a 4-1 decision in OT … It’s Fishback’s second straight trip to NCAAs; he went 2-2 last year … He was ACC runner-up for the second straight season … All six of his losses were to ranked foes and NCAA Qualifiers … It’s Hale’s second straight trip to NCAAs as well … He placed second at the inaugural Ivy League Championships.

WrestleStat prediction: Fishback by 10-2 major decision

Winner/Loser faces: #2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa – 24-0) or #31 Colton Hawks (Missouri – 10-7)

285 (Match #167)

#7 Isaac Trumble (17-5) vs. #26 Peter Ming (Stanford – 11-9)

Notes: This is a rematch from the ACC dual meet, which saw Trumble score a 19-3 tech fall … It’s Trumble’s third trip to NCAAs and his first at heavyweight … He qualified at 197 pounds in both 2022 and 2023, and redshirted last year … Went 1-2 as a true freshman in 2022 and 2-2 in 2023 … Was forced to take a medical forfeit to end his ACC Tournament this year, dropping him to the seventh seed at NCAAs (if he won ACCs, he would have been the fourth seed) … In his final year of eligibility, Ming is making his first trip to NCAAs.

WrestleStat prediction: Trumble by 14-4 major decision

Winner/Loser faces: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State – 22-0) or #31 Max Vanadia (Michigan State – 17-17)